Andy Stone

Senior Project Engineer

As part of our Action Sports group, Andy gets to work on two of his passions: skateboarding and engineering. Over the past 10 years, he’s been involved in over 40 skate parks, contributing everything from earthwork calculations to drainage plans and fine grading.

Before becoming an engineer, Andy traveled the world competing as a professional skateboarder. He then transitioned into a career as an engineer, developing a deep understanding of the various components of land development. Combining those two careers has given Andy an educated eye for functional skate park flow, as well as the expertise to practically contour a project to a client’s needs.

According to Andy, the most rewarding project he’s worked on is the Oldsmar BMX track in Florida. He’s particularly proud of how he and his team were able to identify potential issues with site drainage and facilitate discussions among all of those involved to arrive at a cost-effective solution based in sound engineering.

When he’s not working, Andy can be found on the golf course or skating with his kids at his local skate park, a half-mile from his house.

Houston skaters arrive at The Station

<p>Cameron:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This skate park is named after The Station, a measly little gas station off of Chimney Rock in West Belfort.</p>
<p>Justin:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That's where we all learned our basic tricks and, more importantly, where we met each other. But then the gas station was torn down, so at 15 years old, me and my friends put our heads together, put our ideas together, and decided to build a skate park.</p>
<p>Cameron:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We started going to meetings, we started calling and e-mailing so many people asking for money.</p>
<p>Kanten:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And our design team met with all the locals in the community here to talk about whether they actually wanted in the skate park, and after shredding with them and getting some ideas and putting it on paper, we came up with the layout we have.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The goal was to put something in here that was for everybody, whether it was transition in the bowl, quarter pipes, banks, hips, rails, it was really what we were trying to do with the design.</p>
<p>Justin:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And now I'm able to stand here, starting at 15 years old as a kid, just skating at [Manning Gas Station 00:01:03] with my friends. And now, 19 years old, not a kid anymore, and I'm standing here at a skate park that we built together.</p>
<p>Cameron:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; My favorite thing about skateboarding is getting on my board and skating anywhere and anytime. Just pushing down the street, just cruising. I just love that feeling of wind in my hair, having fun.</p>
<p>Andrew:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Skateboarding, for me, has a very individualistic approach. For instance, when I was a kid, I was never good in soccer, basketball ... That was mainly because I had to rely on other people.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Skateboarding's all about individual achievement, and that really pushes me to do the best that I can do and that I want to do.</p>
<p>Justin:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Seeing your friends, seeing yourself, seeing everybody around you progress, that is the coolest part about skateboarding.</p>
<p>Max:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When you're skateboarding, you can be trying a trick for five minutes or five hours, and when you finally land that trick, it's one of the best feelings in the world.</p>
<p>Juan:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I skate to fall, really. It's like, just to do that and to get back up and do it again.</p>
<p>Brendon:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We put in a lot of hard work and time from the community and we finally have our park.</p>
<p>Juan:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It's amazing, really. I never thought it would come true. It's like a dream of every skater.</p>
<p>Andrew:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Park is pretty sick because it's right down the street from my house.</p>
<p>Dan:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And it turned out super good. The transitions, the angles, everything flows. I'm really happy with it.</p>
<p>Kanten:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It was just really an idea that came to life from them. It's really a community project and we were just there to help them.</p>
<p>Sylvester:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; If you dream of something and you want something, you can grab it and you can make it happen.</p>
<p>Annise:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This park is designed for this neighborhood and this community, and it is exactly what this neighborhood and this community asked for. Very, very important.</p>
<p>Cameron:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And I wish that this would inspire anybody else to continue what we just did and spread the love of skateboarding.</p>
<p>Justin:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This skate park being a concrete skate park is amazing because it's here permanently. It's not going anywhere, so it's gonna be here for generations. I'm gonna be able to skate in it, my kids are gonna be able to skate it, and my grandkids will even get to skate it.</p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I think that this community has a lot of positivity flowing through it just through this skate park.</p>

30 years in the making

<p><b>Andy</b>: There’s going to be a 40 for 40, now it’s going to be a 43 for 43</p>
<p><b>Kanten</b>: Andy started skating in 86 when he was 13, I started… I feel like this is a Jeremy Klein / ron chapman thing… he’s 18, I’m 18, um, ya, he was 13 I was 13, I started same year same age. We both turned pro in 1993, we both rode for the same board company and had an ad at the same time for our first time ever having an ad published. I think it’s just weird now how full circle that many years later we’re working together creating skate parks. It’s just kinda crazy. And the owner of that company who put the ad out is actually right down the way here at the skate park, and his son is ripping the park. It’s like full circle.</p>
<p><b>Off-camera</b>: You mean that guy right there?</p>
<p><b>Kanten</b>: Ya, he was our team manager.</p>
<p><b>Andy</b>: That was that slow J Lee jump.</p>